I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (Less than a year)

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Pros

Great company culture. Casual work environment. Employees are passionate all the way up to the top levels. Management works hard. Employees know their fields.

Cons

In my experience, Obsidian seems to be routinely pushed around by the publishers they work with. This leads to rushed launches and, in some cases, making implementing poor designs because of the publisher's whims.

I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

Recommends

Neutral Outlook

Approves of CEO

Recommends

Neutral Outlook

Approves of CEO

Pros

The head guys are very open and honest regarding the company's health. The developers are friendly. They pay about average. The studio is across from plenty of dining/shopping/etc. but its very expensive to live nearby.

Cons

They were really struggling when I was there, working on bad projects from no-name or foreign publishers. They are basically desperate to work for anyone to keep the lights on. Hopefully, Project Eternity (their own IP) will put them on solid footing again.

Advice to Management

Move. Irvine is lame and too expensive, especially that premium spot across The Spectrum.

I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than a year)

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Pros

Transparency. Obsidian's owners are very clear and open about that is going on with the studio. Anything from new projects to financial stability. The artists are eager to learn and willing share new techniques and experiences. The absence of "climbing the corporate ladder" is a welcome feeling having come from both of the other "big" corporate studios.

Cons

Minor issues like parking lot locations, not having the newest office furniture or computer hardware come up because of being a cost conscious independent development studio.

I have been working at Obsidian Entertainment full-time (More than 5 years)

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Recommends

Positive Outlook

Approves of CEO

Pros

I have worked for many companies over the years and working at Obsidian Entertainment has become the career I always never knew I wanted. I look forward to going to work everyday, even on the stressful ones. I get to work with true talent. The Owners have always been good to me.

Cons

Being a small developer has its moments where you are waiting for the next project and in all the time I have been at Obsidian that is my one and only con.

Most talented and versatile designers in the industry Chris Avellone is just awesome to work with

Cons

Pigeon-holed as an RPG developer Very reliant on publishers No original IP

Advice to Management

As far as designing traditional RPG's, nobody knows better than Obsidian's upper management. However, management could really benefit from being more open to fresh ideas and new business models and opportunities. Obsidian's reliance on publisher funding dampens the potential of all their talented employees, and makes it feels like they are one cancelled project away from utter collapse.

Great creative design and storytelling; solid art and animation; good work environment; good location; decent benefits

Cons

Homegrown technology trailed top competitors (internal tech was not where it should have been - given the reliance certain projects had on its predictable delivery); pay was decent, but larger companies could offer larger base salaries and almost always had stronger bonus plans. My work-life balance was not very good. Part of that was my fault - I took on a lot of work and had a hard time stepping away from company mail or our intranet at night and on the weekends.

Advice to Management

It would be good if Obsidian could take on a deep-pocketed strategic partner. When paired with the right project, they can do amazing work for the money. Their D&D, Star Wars, and Fallout work was top notch.

* One of very few RPG companies in America with such a rich a history in the industry * Some tremendously talented people across tech/design/art * Excellent workplace facilities * An impressive amount of transparency from management regarding any issue * Worthwhile, high-profile projects * A tangible sense of comraderie among most of the company

Cons

* Typical-of-the-industry project mismanagement issues create significant, avoidable overtime * Excessive redefinition of project goals and revisitation of pre-production tasks during production * Design occasionally given too much latitude without equivalent accountability * Salaries are more competitive elsewhere * Many of the best qualified shy away from leadership positions while ambitious but under qualified are granted or thrust into leadership positions

Advice to Management

Iteration is to be expected, but drastic or frequent changes do more harm than good by compromising the team's confidence in leadership's competence and decision-making ability. No one wants to create anything less than the best, but take the time to quantify the shortcomings of a pre-production decision before attempting to shoehorn revisions into a production schedule that is already bursting at the seams. As the old adage goes, you can't stuff 10 pounds of $h!+ into a 5 pound bag.

The owners have a lot of hands-on development experience (having previously worked at Interplay), and are generally "with it" as far as dealing with the development process goes. They also have solid publisher contacts and are one of a small number of RPG developers in North America, which means that publishers looking to develop a title in that genre come knocking fairly frequently. The employees, at least during my tenure, were generally cool and good to work with, and morale is generally good.

Glassdoor has 10 Obsidian Entertainment reviews submitted anonymously by Obsidian Entertainment employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Obsidian Entertainment is right for you.